The present invention relates to systems and methods for packaging portable USB storage devices. Portable USB storage devices, such as USB flash disks (or UFDs), are well-known in the art of digital computing, and are offered by many vendors. A typical example of such a USB storage device is a DiskOnKey™ portable memory available from M-Systems Inc. of Kefar Saba, Israel.
As the popularity of UFD devices increases and their prices decrease, there is a commercial need to price, package, and display them as mass-consumer products. One of the common methods of merchandising a mass-consumer product is to display it in an attractive package near the point of sale in appropriate retail stores. In the case of a UFD, typical retail stores include electronic stores, media stores, and department stores.
Since UFDs are intended to be carried by a person (typically in a pocket), and plugged into computers and other devices by hand, the consumer would appreciate the ability to “touch and feel” the body of the device prior to purchasing it as a part of his/her impulsive purchase behavior. Enabling the consumer to hold the UFD device for evaluation is a feature that is important in the promotion of selling the product at points of sale.
However, as the typical UFD device is small, and even a low-price UFD costs several dollars, it is risky for the store to place UFD devices near points of sale where a shoplifter can easily take the UFDs, and slide them into a pocket without paying for them. In order to prevent such theft, many expensive compact electronic devices are displayed in stores with a strong leash that connects them to the display stand. Such a solution is not feasible for UFDs because the number of units on display is typically too large to tie each unit to a leash.
Packaging a set of UFDs in a closed package would be secure, but denies the consumer the ability to touch and feel the device. Connecting each UFD individually to an open package would reduce the consumer's inclination to buy a package of multiple devices in a single purchase, and would be counterproductive to the sales effort.
It would be desirable to have a method of packaging a plurality of UFD devices in such a way that they would be considered by the consumer as a single package, reducing the likelihood of shoplifting, and yet will still allow the consumer to hold the UFD in a “touch and feel” manner. It would be further desirable to also permit the packaged UFD to be plugged into a computer to verify that it works properly, in case the consumer insists on testing the device before purchasing it.